By Bentzion Pearson

The date: Shabbos, 3 Tammuz 5701 (June 1941)

The location: 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY.

Just several days prior, on 28 Sivan, the Rebbe and Rebbetzin arrived in the United States from war-torn Europe.

World War II is at its height.

That summer and in the months that followed, just across the Atlantic in Eastern Europe, Jews were being persecuted by the millions under the cruel dictatorships of Stalin and Hitler, may their names be obliterated. They endured the most brutal conditions and atrocities humanity has ever known, culminating in the horrific murder of approximately eight million Jews, may G-d avenge their blood.

On that Shabbos, marking fourteen years since the beginning of his miraculous release from Soviet imprisonment in 1927, the Frierdiker Rebbe held a farbrengen at 770, with his son-in-law, the Rebbe, in attendance.

During the course of the Farbrengen or festive meal (see Sefer Hasichos 5701 pg. 133), the Frierdiker Rebbe shared a story he had heard from his father, the Rebbe Rashab:

Once, at a gathering, a chossid by the name of Reb Yosef Gurevitch (known among chassidim as “Reb Yezeh Varshiver”) asked the Rebbe Rashab, “What is a chossid?”

It seemed like a simple question—one every Chabad child would presumably know the answer to—yet it was, in truth, a profound existential inquiry.

The Rebbe Rashab responded as follows (the words in brackets are the Rebbe’s comments, said at the farbrengen of 13 Tammuz 5722):

“A Chossid is a lamplighter. [A lamplighter is someone who goes out into the street to light up the darkness of night.

It used to be that there would be lampposts around the town and there was a person who had the job to go around at night with a long stick, because the lampposts were tall.]

The lamplighter walks the streets carrying a flame at the end of a stick. He knows that the flame is not his. And he goes from lamp to lamp to set them alight.”

Asked the Chossid, “What if the lamp is in a desert?”

“Then one must go and light it,” said the Rebbe. “And when one lights a lamp in the desert, the desolation of the desert becomes visible. The barren wilderness will then be ashamed before the burning lamp.”

Continued the Chossid: “What if the lamp is at sea?”

“Then one must undress, jump into the sea, and go light the lamp.”

“And this is a ‘Chossid’?” the Chossid asked.

After some deep thought, the Rebbe confirmed, “Yes, that is a Chossid.”

“But Rebbe, I do not see any lamps!”

Answered the Rebbe Rashab: “That’s because you are not a ‘lamplighter’.”

“How does one become a ‘lamplighter’?”

“One must begin with themselves. You must reject the evil within yourself. Cleanse yourself, refine yourself, and you will see the lamp within your fellow.

When a person is himself coarse, chas veshalom, he sees coarseness; when a person is himself refined, he sees the refinement in others.”

The Chossid then asked: “Is one to grab the other person by the neck?”

Replied the Rebbe: “By the neck, no; but by the lapel, yes.”

As mentioned, that farbrengen marked fourteen years since the beginning of the process of the Frierdiker Rebbe’s release from Soviet prison, and he therefore focused on the concept of “יד”. He explained that until then [Lubavitch] had been operating on the level of “בְּיַד הַחָזָקָה”; now, we were entering the stage of “יַד הַגְדוֺלָה” [a reference to G-d’s “Strong Hand” during the Exodus from Egypt and His “Great Hand” witnessed by the Jewish people at the crossing of the Red Sea.]

In this, he subtly hinted at the dawn of a new era in Lubavitch — and, by extension, in Jewish history — with the Rebbe’s arrival in America.

*

As we approach Yud Shvat, marking the historic moment—seventy-six years ago—when we, Chassidim, were privileged to become the Rebbe’s, it is a fitting time to reflect on the above story and exchange between the Rebbe Rashab and a Chossid, whose messages continue to guide us to this very day.

The Rebbe Rashab’s words, both in their literal and figurative sense, serve as a shining path for the life of a chossid, in whatever capacity one may find oneself.

I would venture to unpack this most profound and fundamental story capturing the identity (״מהות״) of a Chossid:

“A Chossid carries a light, fully aware that it is not his own.” In other words, he knows that he is not here to fulfill “his mission,” but rather to fulfill a mission of G-d. That light includes the unique abilities and capacities granted to him by G-d. The more one adopts this mindset — rather than “I need to fulfill my mission” — the more success one will experience in life, because one then becomes less self-conscious, less rigid, and more at peace with one’s true self and one’s designated place in the world. The more one internalizes this, until it becomes a lived belief, the more successful one will be.

The mindset of a Chossid is: I am not doing this for myself; I am doing this because I want to take part in whatever G-d desires.

The chossid lives by:

“G-d, if this is what gives You pleasure — I’m all in.”

A Chossid brings light where most people see only darkness.

A Chossid spreads light to areas (in his life and in the lives of others) seemingly too ‘distant’ to reach on their own.

A Chossid chooses G-d even when He makes it difficult to.

A Chossid draws strength, validation, and joy from within.

A Chossid is not afraid to face himself and be honest about where he truly stands.

A Chossid is not afraid to acknowledge his shortcomings and to seek guidance from others in order to improve.

A Chossid can separate himself from the transgressions he commits. He does not identify with the wrong he has done, yet, at the appropriate time, he returns to his senses and resolves to improve his ways.

A Chossid, when triggered by a person, place, or situation, asks himself: “What message is G-d sending me here to help me grow?”

A Chossid is deeply troubled when his davening and learning are not as they should be.

A Chossid’s life is guided by the Shulchan Aruch and suffused with Chassidus.

A Chossid is conscious of his actions.

A Chossid recognizes how ‘lowly’ he is, yet, how high his true potential is.

A Chossid recognizes his virtues yet does not consider himself superior to others.

A Chossid is attentive and sensitive to the needs of others.

A Chossid feels profound pain when another Jew is lacking in any way.

A Chossid possesses the self-awareness to appreciate the perspective of another.

A Chossid can genuinely rejoice in another’s success or accomplishment.

A Chossid is grateful to G-d for the opportunity to serve Him.

A Chossid sees all the resources that G-d grants him as meant to be shared with others.

A Chossid is always seeking ways to strengthen his relationship with G-d.

A Chossid doesn’t seek to understand G-d’s mysterious ways.

A Chossid, when faced with a challenge or crisis, does not merely “accept it with love”. He feels the pain deeply and learns to ride the wave, flowing fully in the direction that G-d is now guiding him.

The following are three stories that I feel truly illustrate the identity of a Chossid.

1. Story of Reb Yosef – Baal Agala

The Frierdiker Rebbe writes a lengthy story about a chossid of the Alter Rebbe by the name of Reb Yosef of Bishinkovitz, also known as “Reb Yosef ‘Baal Agala’” — the wagon driver. A true chassidic Jew, he was a devout chossid, known as a Torah scholar and dedicated to long hours of Torah study and prayer.

One day, he was summoned by the Alter Rebbe and tasked with becoming a wagon driver. “It would be better for your neshama to be a wagon driver than a rov,” the Alter Rebbe told him, to the utter shock of all who knew him.

As humiliating as it seemed, the devoted chossid began learning the ropes of this completely unfamiliar profession — how to handle horses, oil the wagon’s wheels, find clients — and he set out to fulfill the Rebbe’s instruction.

After many years, he encountered a Jewish client named Shlomo Leib. Although Shlomo Leib had grown up observant, he had fallen on hard times, eventually leaving his family and living with a non-Jewish woman, with whom he had children. Witnessing the devout faith and conduct of Reb Yosef, he was inspired to do teshuva with a sincere heart and fully return to the path of Torah.

Reb Shlomo Leib eventually became a devoted, full-fledged chossid. By that time, the Alter Rebbe had passed away. The Mitteler Rebbe, the Alter Rebbe’s successor, then told Reb Yosef: “My father [the Alter Rebbe] came to me and said that Yosef of Bishinkovitz had fulfilled the intention.”

In connection to this story, the Mitteler Rebbe wrote the booklet Pokeach Ivrim, outlining the process of the baal teshuva, dedicating it to Reb Shlomo Leib.

2. Story of Reb Shmuel Gurary

Reb Shmuel Gurary (d. 1921) was a successful businessman and a Chossid of the Rebbe Mahrash and the Rebbe Rashab.

Once, during a trade fair, a number of wealthy merchants gathered in an inn. They were all Chassidim of various courts, and naturally, each of them told stories of the wonders and miracles performed by their respective Rebbe. Reb Shmuel was present, and when it was his turn to tell a story, he said:

“Once, a business proposition came up for me in the field of timber harvesting and sale. It would require an enormous investment, but could generate a tremendous return if all went well. The risk was great, but so was the potential reward. Of course, I sought the advice of the Rebbe [Maharash]. The Rebbe told me to invest, and that’s what I did. Not long afterwards, the investment fell through and I lost everything I had put into the venture.”

Waiting for a miraculous punchline, the others were surprised that with these words, Reb Shmuel concluded his tale and fell silent.

“Nu? So what was the miracle?” they asked

“The miracle is,” Reb Shmuel explained, “that even after this story I remained his Chossid, trusting the Rebbe exactly as I did before. The Rebbe certainly knew I would lose on that investment, and yet the Rebbe told me to invest. Certainly, it was for my benefit. Perhaps a terrible decree faced me or my family, and the Rebbe lightened it by way of me losing money. Perhaps it was for another reason. Either way, it is clear to me that this was a miracle.”

3. Story of Reb Mendel Futerfas

Reb Mendel Futerfas (d. 1995) was imprisoned and ultimately sent to the notorious Siberian Soviet Gulag camps from 1947–1956.

One day, in the harsh conditions of the labor camp, fellow prisoners were discussing their professions prior to imprisonment, each reflecting with a mix of nostalgia and anguish on their former lives compared to their current suffering. Throughout the conversation, Reb Mendel remained silent.

Finally, one of the prisoners, noting Reb Mendel’s Chassidic appearance, remarked, “You probably don’t have much to share—you likely didn’t have much of a profession.” Reb Mendel replied that he had actually been a fairly successful businessman before his imprisonment. “However,” he added, “that’s only what I did, not who I was. And in that regard, nothing much has changed for me.”

*

To be a chossid means to respond rather than react (to a person, a situation, or a circumstance). A chossid studies the situation carefully before choosing how to respond.

A chossid views life’s circumstances through a deeper lens. Any deficiency, challenge, or situation that is less than ideal naturally triggers human feelings of dejection, rejection, or being unwanted. But a chossid sees beyond the immediate reality: he recognizes that his life’s true calling lies elsewhere. Not necessarily along the “traditional” path or where he would personally prefer to be, but he understands that it is not about him — that he is not carrying his own light. He is on a mission: G-d’s mission.

Dovid Hamelech writes in Tehilim (116:16):

אָנָא ה׳ כִּי אֲנִי עַבְדֶּךָ, אֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ בֶּן אֲמָתֶךָ, פִּתַּחְתָּ לְמוֹסֵרָי.

Please, O Lord, for I am Your servant; I am Your servant the son of Your maidservant; You have loosened my bonds.

The Baal Shem-Tov teaches that the word “אָנָא,” beyond its simple meaning of “please,” also carries the sense of “wherever.”

Through these words, Dovid Hamelech speaks on behalf of every Jew, declaring from the depths of the soul:

“G-d, in whatever state of life You place me — in whatever situation, whatever challenge — I am here to serve You. I will show up, wherever You want me to be [knowing fully that I am only Your servant].”

The more a person lives with this mindset, surrendering completely to G‑d’s will and showing up wherever He calls, the more their “bonds” naturally loosen. These bonds—life’s pressures, expectations, limitations, and struggles—all begin to fall away. In alignment with his soul (i.e., G‑d’s Master Plan for him), one experiences true joy, freedom, and authentic inner peace, all rooted in the awareness that we are ultimately only servants of G‑d.